Reviews by johanlefourbe

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was directed by Denzel Washington and starring Michael B. Jordan, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, it’s only after watching the damned thing that I noticed that it had received some rather poor reviews and, unfortunately, I would have to agree with the critics on this one. Indeed, in my opinion, the main issue was with the story which was just too dry and too flat. I mean, basically, a journalist and a soldier fall in love, even though his job is keeping them apart for most of the duration. And, then, the guy dies and she has to raise their kid on her own. Unfortunately, while there was nothing intrinsically bad about all this, Washington never managed to make it fascinating or even remotely interesting. I’m not blaming Michael B. Jordan or Chanté Adams though as they were both really charismatic and they had a nice chemistry together. Unfortunately, even though their respective characters both seemed to be some nice people, to be honest, they were not really interesting after all. And it was the same thing with their story, eventually, even if what happened to them was certainly tragic, it did miss some dramatic curve, I’m afraid. The random chronology certainly didn’t help either. And, yet, I still think it was nice to spend some time with some actually decent people for once. I have to admit that the fact that I myself fell in love recently with a beautiful black woman probably made me appreciate this movie probably more than it actually deserved. Anyway, to conclude, I think I was maybe too generous with my rating here but I still think it is worth a look though, at least, if you like the genre. 

Last week, I saw ‘Searching’, I thought it was pretty good and, since this sequel was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out as well. Well, just like with ‘Searching’, even though the whole screenlife thingy (all the events are supposed to be shown on a computer, tablet or smartphone screen) might seem terribly gimmicky, I thought it was once again actually quite entertaining. This time around, they swapped the characters so the parent was missing and the teenager was searching for her mother. Sure, it might seem too easy but I thought it worked fine though. Especially the first scenes showing the tension between this single-mother and her teenaged girl were quite pitch-perfect and it did help that Storm Reid gave a solid performance here. I have to admit that it was slightly bothered by the fact that it was once again dealing with a young girl mourning her dead father as it was exactly the same set-up in the previous movie. However, obviously, it wasn’t the case at all here since the supposedly dead father suddenly showed up in the final act which was, I have to admit it, pretty awesome. It’s too bad they didn’t give enough time for the main character to actual process this as they kept rushing from one plot twist to another. In fact, to be honest, I’m not sure that the story really made sense after all, for example, what was the deal with Kevin after all? Seriously, it felt like they couldn’t make up their minds if he should be a good guy or a bad guy after all. And yet, even if the damned thing barely made sense after all, it was still definitely entertaining though. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was a decent watch and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

To be honest, this movie was not a priority but there was not much else to see this month in the movie theaters. In fact, when I saw the trailer (which gave way too many spoilers), I knew already that this movie would be a flop at the box-office. And, yet, I seemed that the critics were fairly positive mostly because the movie did cost around 80 millions dollars but it did look 3 times more expensive so I thought I might as well check it out after all. Eventually, I have to admit that I was really impressed by the world building displayed. Indeed, I have always been a big fan of science-fiction and, in this case, it was so immersive, it was some of the best world building I have seen in many years. Furthermore, even if his character turned out to be rather poorly developed,  John David Washington is such a fine and charismatic lead actor. Finally, I also loved that the secret ultimate weapon turned out to be a small child with some super-powers which was an obvious nod to ‘Akira’. So, some elements were really neat in this movie but, unfortunately, it’s too bad that the story turned to be half-baked and only half-interesting. For example, how come Maya didn’t know that Joshua was undercover? If she didn’t, it did mean that their whole relationship was based on a lie, didn’t it? Even more problematic, how on Earth was Maya also Nirmata AKA The Creator without Joshua ever noticing it? Furthermore, the damned thing was at least 30 mins too long. Sure, I have to admit that the fact that I was exhausted when I watched it probably didn’t help but, still, with such a generic tale, it could have been easily shorter. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was still a decent watch though and I still think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Olivia Munn and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, to be honest, I do believe that the concept really had some potential. Sure, it was nothing really original but it definitely could have been entertaining. Unfortunately, the damned thing turned out to be so weak after all. First of al, after 20 years in the business, was it really the best cast Josh Duhamel could get for his directorial debut? Didn’t he have so more interesting famous buddies that he could call for a favor? Indeed, all the guys involved in these group of friends were some 3rd rate actors, I had even never seen some of them before and I have been watching movies for 30 years. Anyway, they were all seriously underwhelming. At least, Olivia Munn and Josh Duhamel made a nice couple but she wasn’t involved in these buddy games so, well, she was basically wasted here since she had nothing to do (the fact that the guy dumped her at the end was also quite ridiculous, as if he couldn’t have both…). Concerning the story itself, it seemed pretty simple, just let these guys loose and have them taking part in some wild games, and, yet, the end-result was just rather lame. Same thing with the jokes, I have to admit that a couple of them were funny, but I’m being really literal here. Indeed, only 2 of them were neat, the rest was just rather pathetic. Concerning the directing by Duhamel, I guess he thought it was a smart move to go for a comedy since it wouldn’t need some major directing skills but I’m afraid, even in this area, the whole thing was disappointing and looked like a very cheap and clunky R rated comedy. Anyway, to conclude, I think my rating might have been too generous here, the damned thing was really weak and you should probably avoid it. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it seemed to have a decent reputation (it is included in the ‘The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made’ list selected by the New York Times, among other things), I thought I might as well check it out. Well, it was basically one of these typical screwball comedies they used to make back in the 30’s and, to be honest, I’m not very fond of the genre but I have to admit  that I actually enjoyed this one though. In fact, it turned out to be even more hysterical than usual but it was actually quite entertaining to see these characters constantly shouting at each other. The week before, I actually saw Carole Lombard playing a similar role in ‘Nothing Scared’ but I thought that Jean Arthur was actually better in this movie. Indeed, it was rather impressive how Arthur managed to be really lovely and, yet, she was still convincing playing an average woman. I also appreciated the fact that her character, while not being really bright, never became annoying so her performance was actually much more complex than it might seem and I understand why Arthur had such a stellar reputation at the time. It’s too bad that I didn’t care much about the romance involving her character and John Ball Jr. played by Ray Milland. Still, some of the other actors involved were also really fun to behold as well, especially Edward Arnold and Luis Alberni. Unfortunately, even though I’m well aware it is inherent to the genre, the plot was just too random, from the beginning until the end. Anyway, to conclude, even if I don’t think it was amazing, it was still a really solid vintage comedy and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Obviously, you might wonder why I ended up watching this flick. The main reason why I actually wanted to check the damned thing was because Nick, my step-son, is a brony. The bronies is basically the fandom around the animated series ‘My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic’. I know, it sounds pretty weird that a male adult like Nick might be fascinated by a show which has been conceived for little girls but I have met some of his friends and it is a sweet, kind and actually really creative community. Seriously, as a parent, I’m actually glad he didn’t spend all his week-ends getting sh*t-faced like most of the guys of his age. Anyway, after all these years, I thought I should finally check what was so fascinating about it for my step-son. Well, to be honest, the first 15 mins were rather disorienting. Indeed, I had no idea what was ‘Equestria’ and who all these characters were so it was definitely a movie made for the fans of the TV-show. Fortunately, fairly soon, they went on a fairly generic quest and it didn’t really matter if you were a fan or not to follow what was going on but that was also an issue, I’m afraid. Indeed, this story was just too generic. Furthermore, even though Liev Schreiber had obviously some fun with The Storm King, this character turned out to be such a cheap-*ss copy of Hades from ‘Hercules’. At least, Tempest Shadow was a pretty cool pony, even though I have to admit that I didn’t recognize Emily Blunt’s voice at all. So, do I now understand why so many adults would love so much this cartoon? To be honest, not really. However, it’s no coincidence that its subtitle is ‘Friendship Is Magic’ as the main character is actually the Princess of Friendship and friendship and harmonious relationships are actually a major focus which was definitely intriguing. Anyway, to conclude, I’m not sure if I should recommend this movie but, if someone dear to you is a brony, it is definitely worth a look though. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since there was a solid cast involved and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, for a directorial debut, the damned thing was certainly ambitious, that’s for sure. Indeed, Juel Taylor mixed up so many genres such as the Hood movies, Blaxploitation, Body Snatchers and, obviously, cloning but even some comedy. To be honest, it is actually surprising that it worked at all with such disparate genres involved. Of course, you might argue that the damned thing was really far-fetched and it was, obviously, but it was actually still pointing out how Black people are actually living in the ghettos in the USA. Indeed, it is a know fact that there is a liquor store at pretty much every corner in such neighborhoods and there is also the widespread theory that the US government actually did somehow facilitate the crack pandemic. As a result, you could say that there have been some actual attempts to keep the Black community down, maybe it was not as outrageous as it was displayed in this movie, but still. So, it was actually quite thought-provoking but, to be honest, there were also plenty of plot-holes though. For example, how Fontaine’s clone could remember being shot at when he wakes up? Furthermore, the more I think about it, the more I was bothered by Teyonah Parris’s character, Yo-Yo. Not that Parris did anything wrong, she was actually fine but it was rather annoying that a beautiful woman, at least just as smart or even smarter than Fontaine and Slick Charles, should have such a degrading profession. Sure, there might be nothing glorious about being a pimp or a drug dealer but being a prostitute is really so much more demeaning and I think it’s a pity that the only woman involved should automatically play arguably the worst job in the world just to fit some stereotype. Anyway, to conclude, even if it wasn’t a completely home-run, it was still a really original and even entertaining feature and I think it’s definitely worth a look. 

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it seemed to have a decent reputation, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, even though the screenlife genre (all the events are supposed to be shown on a computer, tablet or smartphone screen) might seem terribly gimmicky, they certainly made the most of it here though and, as a result, it is usually considered as the best movie ever made in this genre. Basically , the poor guy was going through the worst nightmare you can have if you are raising some teenagers and the way it was displayed was pretty much pitch-perfect, I’m afraid. Sure, you can blame the guy for not being more aware about his daughter’s life but I think it's unfair. Indeed, I raised 3 of those, at some point when they reach around 15 years ago, you have to start to let them go and, to be honest, most of the time, you simply don’t know what they are doing. Sure, it might sound irresponsible and/or frightening but it just how it works. Anyway, the damned thing was really well made, just chilling to behold and John Cho delivered a solid and convincing performance. Unfortunately, they got stuck at some point narratively speaking which was too bad. Indeed, after building up an intriguing mystery around this disappearance, it seemed that they couldn’t really figure out how to go from there and, as a result, they went for some really far-fetched twist involving the detective actually working on this case. On top of that, sure, it was nice that this father got reunited with his lost daughter, it was definitely an uplifting ending but, to be honest, it felt rather unlikely with everything that happened before. Anyway, to conclude, even if it wasn’t a complete success, it was still a really solid thriller and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was directed by Wes Anderson and since it was available on Netflix, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, if you are a fan of Wes Anderson’s work, it will be quite a year to remember as the indie master will release no less than 5 movies (1 full-length feature and 4 shorts). To be honest, I have to admit that I have never been a fan of Roald Dahl’s books film adaptations. However, I really did love ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ which is, as far as I’m concerned, Anderson’s best movie so far and, well, the famous writer and the indie film director seemed to be once again a match made in heaven. Indeed, as usual with this director, the whole thing was a visual treat but, above all, it was such a fun tale and, combined with Anderson’s quirky directing style, it was just a marvel to behold. The fact it was a short feature was also perfect because I do believe that this way of telling a story for at least 90 mins could have been rather exhausting and/or annoying after a while. The only thing missing, at least, if you would compare it to his most recent directorial efforts, is that he didn’t get a huge cast to play each character by some famous actor but, instead, he chose to have only a handful of actors playing several characters but I thought it was rather distracting. Fortunately, it wasn't a big deal though and, now, I can’t wait to see the other 3 shorts that Anderson has cooked up for Netflix. Anyway, to conclude, I really enjoyed the damned thing and I think it’s definitely worth a look, especially a fan of Wes Anderson or a fan of Roald Dahl.